Emmy
by Serena and Abella
Summary: Celestria did not have favourites. She loved all of her celestrian children equally. But when she discovered that one of her novice celestrians had been thrown off the Observatory when the whole world and the Heavens shook with anger, she decided that young Empyrea was the chosen one, to save the Protectorate from horror. But surely little Emmy can not do that on her own? ON HIATUS
1. Prologue

**Serena: **Okay, so in this story, as I can't use my first name, I'm going to use my favourite DQ8 name: Empyrea.

**Abella:**Serena, why oh why do you never put _me_ as the main character?

**Serena: **…

**Abella: ***Sulks in a dark, miserable corner*

**Serena: **Now that she's gone, I can FINALLY tell you properly about this story!

It's a Dragon Quest 9 story, and it's basically about me and my chosen companions, whom shall be name story. I can reveal one thing- there is, um, how should I put this… a little "evol" (_read this word backwards and you'll get it!_) will brew in the cauldron of _romance _between one of the three girls in my party, the main girl, and the only boy in the party!

**Abella: **Let the story begin!

* * *

Prologue

_A Celestial Star is Born_

* * *

Aquila gazed, deep in thought, out towards the inky black-blue sky, which was dotted with the star souls of many departed Celestrian friends and family, as Columba named them. The 5 century old bald male winged fellow cast his experienced eye on one of the largest shining stars, and recognised it as Columba's old mentor and teacher, Delphis.

Delphis used to talk a lot with Aquila's old mentor, Corvus. But now, all talk of the missing blonde celestrian was forbidden, by the oldest celestrian living in the observatory, Apus Major. Whatever the old man ordered just had to be obeyed. He was the most important, and no inferior could defy his or her superior.

Aquila's legs suddenly began to ache, and he sat down on the ground, legs crossed. He did not draw his raven black eyes away from the flaming balls of gas hovering in the heavens above.

He closed his eyes and meditated for a few seconds, wanting to put his mind at rest, and to clear his mind of all negative thoughts.

A flash in front of his closed eyelids made him snap his black eyes open, and his mouth drop open as he gasped.

A brand new star had appeared in the night sky! It shone so much more than all the others, and for a moment, Aquila did not recognise it. Then he remembered that it meant that a celestrian was going to be born!

The star flashed three times, and it flew at top speed next to where Aquila stood, near to the World Tree, Yggdrasil. He leaped a little distance away from it as the star began to grow tall as an eight to nine year old mortal child, sprout out arms legs, and grow long waist length hair.

Aquila still wasn't sure if it was a girl or a boy yet; Corvus was a boy and he had long golden blonde hair, earning him the title, among the foolish apprentices, "female winged one!"

A final _HUGE_ bright flash of light blinded Aquila for about five minutes, and then after blinking several times to regain his impeccably good eyesight.

He stared in shock at the sight before him. He was rendered speechless.

A shocked looking small girl with grey feathered wings, which were tiny, compared to his great white ones; and a bronze halo which shone only a little when put next to Aquila's golden one. Her long dark chocolate brown hair needed grooming, and her novice celestial outfit looked a bit scruffy.

She was the one to speak first, in a high, but sweet, and _nervous _voice. "Hello, sir. My name is Empyrea… What is this place unto which I have been placed?"

Aquila regained his ability to speak.

"This," he said airily, "is the Observatory. You, I will definitely assume, are a new celestrian, come to take the place of an apprentice."

Empyrea's chocolate brown eyes lit up, and the beam on her face could light up a million mortal lighthouses.

"Shall you be my master, kind sir?"

Aquila's face hardened. "Nay. I will not take the role of a mentor, so I will not be your teacher. Come with me, Empyrea, and I will take you to our leader, Apus Major."

The young angel's face looked sad, but she obeyed her superior and followed him down the flights of stairs, to the second ground main hall, where Apus Major and other celestrians gawped at the pair. Empyrea looked worried.

Apus Major did a Father Christmas laugh. "Ho, ho, ho! Aquila, I assume that you have been the first to speak to a new born Celestrian?"

"Aye, sir. She has said her name is Empyrea. I know that this is the same name as the great God bird from the time of Trodain, and its cursed people, and its mighty hero, Reoh." _(LOL, this is just the word 'Hero' spelled differently!)_

Apus Major looked stern.

"Aquila," he began slowly, "you do realize that now, after so many years of refusing an apprentice, and being the first to see this young Celestrian, I now expect you to be her teacher?"

"What!" Aquila's jaw fell. He turned around to see a huge grin plastered across Empyrea's face, and glared at her. She hastily dropped the smile, and hung her head, but Aquila could still spy the ghost of a smile on her face.

Apus Major stared at him. "Aquila, I beg of thee to take this lost lamb without a shepherd as your pupil!" He looked pleadingly at the younger-by-countless-centuries Celestrian.

Then his face hardened a little. "What I am about to say now is not a request, but an order. Aquila, take Empyrea as your apprentice."

Aquila sighed. "Alright," Aquila replied reluctantly, which meant he didn't really _want _to do it.

"Good!" Apus Major said, relieved.

Aquila turned to Empyrea- and was met by a hyper mortal child instead, who threw her arms around his neck and hugged him hard, saying, "Oh, Master, thank you!"

Empyrea looked up from Aquila's chest to her teacher's face. "When the Almighty sent me here, I was sure that no one would treat me with as much kindness as you have now, sir!"

Aquila's eyes widened. Never in his long life had he met an apprentice with so much gratitude! Awkwardly, he patted her back and then pulled away, gently.

"You must need grooming, to fix your scruffy appearance."

Distraught, Empyrea looked down at her outfit, embarrassed. She looked as red as a tomato, an odd fruit grown in the Protectorate.

"Master, where should I go to change my appearance?"

Aquila thought for a few minutes. "I shall take you to my friend Columba's own pupil, Amelia. Being a pupil for several months now, she should know what you should look like."

* * *

"Amelia!" called out Aquila.

A small female with shoulder length blue hair and one thick strand of hair tied up on the right side of her hair; came running up. "Yes, Aquila, sir?" she said breathlessly.

Standing back, he introduced Empyrea to Amelia. "Amelia, this is my new apprentice, Empyrea, who was born simply an hour or so ago. I take it you will agree to make her look much more appealing?"

Amelia looked excited. "Of course, Aquila, sir!" She turned to Empyrea, who looked worried. "Come on, let's get you sorted! I'll make sure that you'll look as nice as everyone else!"

Empyrea _should _have been offended, but she knew that Amelia was right. So she went along with it, and allowed herself to be dragged to the girls' changing rooms by Amelia.

* * *

Empyrea called out of her changing room, "Master, I am ready!"

She stepped out of the room, where Aquila was waiting.

Her looks made him smile. "Much more acceptable."

Her long dark brown hair had been curled and tied up into a ponytail, and her long fringe had been combed until it shone, and was straight as a ruler. Empyrea's celestial clothes and boots/shoes were very clean, and shone like the sun. Amelia had obviously cleaned them with her lucky rag for at least fifteen minutes.

"Now you certainly look like an apprentice worthy of me as your teacher… We begin tomorrow. Go and rest."

* * *

So how was it… for the prologue, anyway?

_Read and review! _

Abella, they only need to review. They've already read it…

_... Awkward! _

**-**Serena **and **_Abella _


	2. Save Patty!

**Serena: **Dammit, I'm not even going to say anything.

**Abella: **SUGAR! We only own Empyrea, Amelia, and two other OCs coming up, as well as some minors. Coolio? Square Enix owns the Dragon Quest/Warrior series, so drop any idea of suing our poor butts.

* * *

**Chapter One**

_Save Patty!_

* * *

"_Hello? Is anyone there? If you're there, say something. Show yourself." _

"_Thus do the voices of the mortals plead, ever hopeful of proof of our existence…" _

"_For how long now have we watched over their realm…? For how long have we Celestrians existed…?" _

These are questions that will always remain a mystery, for not even I know. I can't tell you anything about them and their answers. But what I _can _tell you is a very long but breath taking story. It tells of how the world as we know it was almost destroyed, by one angel corrupted by hatred, and how he and the world was saved by one Celestrian, and her team of three mortals.

The Celestrian is _me_. My name is Empyrea, AKA Emmy, and this is _my _tale. And so here it is, dear reader.

* * *

A smile crawled on to my face as I watched the inhabitants of Angel Falls get on with their daily lives. A young boy with a bowl haircut giggled as he chased a German shepherd out of a house; two plump women gossiped and nattered by the well; and a fat, middle aged man sat happily by the river, humming a cheery tune as he fished. A broad grin replaced my tiny smile as I realised all was peaceful and happy in the cosy village of Angel Falls.

Surely this was a sign that I was being a good guardian? I so wanted to please my mentor.

"You have come far, Empyrea."

My master, Aquila's tough yet kind voice brought me out of my cloud of thoughts, and I turned to see him looking intently at me, his eyes piercing through my soul like a sword.

I felt really shocked. Aquila was never one to praise me much, he'd usually just point out my bad points, and when I cried, he would scold me and tell me "it was for my own good."

"I must confess to having had my doubts when you became guardian of the village in my stead. But its inhabitants' continued peace and safety is proof of your devotion. When Apus Major bade me, 'Aquila, take Empyrea as your apprentice,' I never imagined I would see you bloom so. You are worthy of your title indeed, Empyrea, guardian of Angel Falls."

I gasped and smiled, pleased. "Thank you ever so much, Master!" I gushed, blushing bright red. "I-"

But he wasn't listening to me anymore. He stiffened and went, "Hm?!"

Following his gaze, I saw that just outside of Angel Falls, walking along the path, headed homewards, were Erinn, a young woman of about fifteen or sixteen with purple hair, accompanied by her old grandfather, who was perhaps sixty. Everyone in Angel Falls, including me, just called him Grandpa, even the adults.

"Hahh…" gasped Grandpa, panting. "hahh… you don't ever want to get old, my dear Erinn. You don't ever want to get old."

Even though I wanted to go and help him, I couldn't. I'd most likely give him the fright of his life if I tried to take hold of him.

Anyways… being a Celestrian means you have certain advanced abilities. Like powers and stuff like that. One of them is super hearing and eyesight, so I could easily hear and see them. This is how I could see Erinn smile playfully, even though we were quite far from their position.

She giggled. "Oh, Grandpa, it's not much further now. I'm sure you'll make it."

That's when I saw what the threat was. A bush rustled, and out leaped a cruelcumber, its ridiculous tongue hanging out, spear in hand; and two aqua blue slimes.

I gasped as they gleefully cheered as they spotted Erinn and Grandpa walking up ahead, and ran behind a large boulder stuck in the ground, preparing to attack!

I was so furious. And believe me, that's a rare thing. I was usually playful and childish, and sometimes a little quiet. Always happy, hardly ever sad or angry.

"These wicked creatures must not be allowed to ambush innocent members of your flock, Empyrea," said Aquila in a hard voice. "Come, guardian of Angel Falls, it is time to fulfil our duty as Celestrians!"

Then, he zoomed off ahead towards the monsters, me hot on his tail. I was determined to make sure these weak humans were not hurt, and to show my teacher that those long hours sparring and teaching me did not go to waste.

We flew down and landed just behind the ugly beasts, determined looks plastered on our faces. The monsters must have heard our feet slam on to the grass, for they spun around. Immediately, they got into their battle positions (spear pointed at us, all puffed out) and the battle began!

I drew my copper sword, and rushed forward. I lifted my arm, then sliced a slime. It squealed as I cut into it, and exploded into the usual purple dust.

Then the other slime, in a bit of a rage, jumped towards me, and before I could move out of the way, it leapt at me, and hit me smack in the face!

"Ouch!" I cried, dropping my blade, and my hands flew up to my face, massaging it. It stung, and I suddenly felt a wave of anger and bitterness flow over me like hot bathwater.

My hands went to my sides again. Then I retrieved my copper weapon and ran forward, slashing at the slime. It, too, was killed and burst into violet dust.

Aquila lunged at the cruelcumber, and managed to make it perish.

The battle was over! Now, left in the spot where the cruelcumber had been, laid thirteen gold coins. Happily, I scooped them up, and put them in my pocket, ready to show Amelia in the library. The second slime had dropped a medicinal herb. I quickly snatched it up, and rubbed it on my face. Magically, it dissolved into my skin, and I instantly felt better.

Sighing, I turned my gaze to where Erinn and Grandpa were still walking. They stopped by the rock, completely oblivious to the fact that I and Aquila were there.

Chuckling, I did the bunny ears gesture with my right index and middle fingers behind Erinn's head. I'd learned that from Angel Falls' mayor's daughter and youngest child.

As expected, Aquila frowned at me and tugged me away to just watch them, and to be absolutely sure that there was no more danger headed their way.

"See, Grandpa!" said Erinn triumphantly. "There's Angel Falls up ahead."

Grandpa let out a sigh of relief. "Aah… I honestly believed I'd never set my tired old eyes on the place again. But here we are at last. Home."

Erinn placed her hands on her hips and smiled. "Oh, don't be so melodramatic, Grandpa!" she told him. "The village guardian will have been watching us all the way. Nothing could have ever happened to us!"

She put her hands together in a prayer and bowed her head. Curiously, I wondered what on Earth she was doing.

"Benevolent Empyrea, thank you for protecting us on our journey."

What occurred next was a truly spectacular thing to see, a memory I stored in my heart and mind. As she straightened up, she glowed a mystifying blue. Then, as she and her grandfather completed their journey home, a beautiful blue crystal appeared where she had once stood, and hovered.

As though I were in a trance, I stared at it as it glided over to my hands. I grabbed it. It felt cool and like a diamond in my clammy hands, and I was scared I was going to lose my grip and drop it, causing it to shatter into a million pieces. That's how delicate and valuable it looked, and believe me, it was.

"Behold, Empyrea. Benevolessence. The crystallisation of the mortals' gratitude towards we who watch over them. As Celestrians, our cardinal duty is the offering up of this sacred substance to mighty Yggdrasil, the Great World Tree. Come, Empyrea. Let us return the Observatory, that you may make your offering." Said Aquila knowledgeably.

I nodded slowly, still staring at the treasure.

I put in carefully in my satchel, and Aquila and I shot up into the sky, headed home.

Soon after, the Observatory reached my eye. It was more wonderful than any palace or castle the mortals could ever build, with its pillars, many floors and Celestrian people. And atop sat the World Tree, Yggdrasil. My heart skipped a beat and I almost fainted when I saw how lovely she stood, serene and confident.

We came into the Observatory via the shimmering blue portal on the ground floor. Turning to me, my master said, "The first task a Guardian must perform upon returning from the Protectorate is to report to Apus Major. As unchanging as the North Star, you will find him in the Great Hall."

I was confused. "Aren't you coming with me?"

"No." he shook his bald head and turned away. Before leaving, he said, "I have other matters to attend to. You must excuse me."

Sighing, I trudged up the stairs to the Great Hall. Looking directly ahead of me, sat Apus Major in his great throne like chair, his two guards standing blankly beside him, their great feathery white wings spread out. Although I felt intimidated by the two, I still approached Apus Major, and bowed before him. "I greet you well," I spoke a little quietly.

However, when he laughed his usual happy laugh, I got up and smiled a genuine smile.

"Well met, Empyrea, apprentice of Aquila," he said, smiling back at me. "Welcome back. I trust your absence has not been so lengthy that you forget your old master, Apus Major!"

I chuckled. "Of course not. I could never forget you, sir!"

"My congratulations on successfully completing your first task as a Guardian, Empyrea. You have performed your duties well thus far albeit under Aquila's watchful gaze. However, the time has come for you to spread your own wings. What say you? Are you ready to undertake you duties alone?" he asked.

I bared my teeth in a grin and nodded. "Yes!"

Apus roared with laughter yet again. "Ho, ho, ho! I see you are a confidant apprentice. Very good. The young have confidence where the old have experience."

His face then donned a look of seriousness. "And so we come to the next of your duties. I believe you have acquired a crystal of benevolessence, have you not?"

"Yup!" I replied proudly, popping the 'P'.

"The essence of mortal gratitude. You must offer it to the Great World Tree, Yggdrasil, who shelters us with Her nurturing boughs from atop the Observatory. She will soon bear fruit at last. Go now, and do as I have instructed." He ordered me.

I nodded, bowed and left.

As I made my way to the World Tree, I discovered many treasures just left lying on the floor. I put them in my bag and went on going up the many flights of stairs.

When I reached the foot of the tree, I got the crystal out of my bag and examined it for a while. It felt good to know this gratitude was directed towards _me_, and me only.

Next, I outstretched my arms and the benevolessence left my hands. It floated to the tree, and was absorbed. I stared at in awe as I stepped back and watched the tree glow golden. Surely this was a sign that the magic fruits told of in the legends, the fyggs, would grow soon?

"Behold, Empyrea…" I heard Aquila from behind me and turned to face him. "…Is Yggdrasil, to whom we offer the benevolessence we gather, not truly beautiful?"

I nodded in agreement. "Yeah."

Aquila gazed up at Her. "Gathering and offering up benevolessence is the most sacred duty with which we Celestrians are charged," he informed me softly. "I trust you will perform your duties well, Empyrea, guardian of Angel Falls."

Silently, I made to go back to the Great Hall, when Aquila stopped me. "I have been thinking, Empyrea, guardian of Angel Falls…"

I looked back at his thoughtful face. "Yes?"

"To address you as 'Guardian of Angel Falls' is both convoluted and inconvenient. You will henceforth allow me to use this form of address only when formality dictates, I take it?"

I nodded hastily. "Y-yes, Master." Don't tell anyone, but back then, when I was still a young fledgling, I was a little scared of Aquila. I never spoke or thought negatively of him, however. I was too loyal.

He nodded approvingly. "Good. It is well that you succumb to my recommendation so quickly, my pupil. As you are aware, the law forbids a Celestrian to oppose a superior. Now, go to Apus Major and tell him of the successful completion of you task."

"At once."

* * *

"Well done, Empyrea! And how did mighty Yggdrasil appear to you?" asked Apus Major when I proudly told him what I'd just done.

"She looked tremendous, and was like a light bulb."

"She was fiercely aglow?" he enquired.

"Uh huh."

Apus Major looked as happy as a kid in a sweet shop. "Ho, ho, ho!"

Honestly, with his body type, beard and laugh, he could pass off as Santa Claus's cousin. Despite this, I still respected him the most out of everyone else in the Observatory.

"It seems the time may soon be upon us. As I am sure you are aware, it is we Celestrians' duty to tend to mighty Yggdrasil until such time as She bears fruit. It is to this end that Guardians watch over mortal kind and gather benevolessence. And now, Empyrea, Guardian of Angel Falls, I believe you know what you must do next. You are to return to the Protectorate and gather benevolessence…this time without Aquila to accompany you. Make ready, and then speak with the female Celestrian who stands guard over the great portal in the floor below. May all the bodies of the heavens watch over you, Empyrea, guardian of Angel Falls."

After saying farewell to Amelia, I descended to the Protectorate to gather some more of that gorgeous gratitude.

Now, if my memory serves me right, I helped three people. Two alive, one dead. I cleaned up the farmer's barn, which was full of horse manure (YUCK!), found Old Lady Gertrude's late husband's wedding ring and returned it to her by putting it in her coat pocket (what? She couldn't see me!) and then Aquila came and helped me send a lost soul (I think it was an adventurer's soul. He'd died before from a beast attack just outside the village) to Heaven.

I was just getting ready to return home, leaving Aquila to explore, when a train horn sounded. We looked up at the dark night sky, which was dotted with stars, to see a golden train fly by, headed towards the Observatory.

I didn't know what it was, but Aquila did. "The Starflight Express…" he murmured. "Indeed, it has been unusually active of late. I have changed my mind. I shall accompany you to the Observatory after all, Empyrea."

I smiled.

"Well met, Empyrea!" Aquila greeted as I reached the foot of Yggdrasil. "Truly, you have chosen a most fortuitous moment to join us."

He gestured to the tree. "Behold Yggdrasil. She is ready to burst into bloom with all the benevolessence we have offered up to her."

I gasped excitedly. "Really?!"

"Ho, ho, ho!" laughed Apus Major. "Yes, she is but a hair's breadth now from bearing fruit. 'Fyggbloom hails the opening of the heavenly gates, and sets the Celestrians on the path to salvation…'"

Aquila finished, "'And lo, it shall be in the celestial carriage that we, the chosen custodians, journey unto the Realm of the Almighty…'"

He faced me expectantly. "It is time, Empyrea. Offer up the benevolessence you have gathered unto mighty Yggdrasil. Do so, and She will surely bear fruit at long last."

Trembling, I offered the three crystals of benevolessence to Yggdrasil. She accepted them, and they were absorbed into Her body.

Every single Celestrian gasped as Yggdrasil glowed brighter than any fire, and my breath caught in my throat as I witnessed the seven golden fruits of Celestrian legend grow on Her branches, shining brighter than the sun. This was definitely something worth working long hours for!

"_Behold_!" cried Apus. "_The sacred fyggs bloom!_" The magic train appeared above us, and swiftly, gracefully circled the Observatory. "_And the celestial chariot appears…praise be! All is as it was foretold!_"

Yup, that's how excited he was. I actually put it in _italics, _see?

The Starflight Express landed, hovering around the edge of the second to last floor of the Observatory. Everyone started chattering excitedly; I just stared at in, rendered speechless."

I took a small step towards it…

…_when a blood red beam of evil power blasted it from below, and it was destroyed, its split carriages falling down, down, DOWN! _

Next thing I knew, everyone was screaming and crying, more beams attacked, the fyggs came loose and fell, and I lost my grip on the stairs and plummeted down to the Protectorate.

I screamed as my I felt my wings being ripped from my back, my halo fading, making me weak.

I landed with a tremendous **SPLASH** in the Angel Falls river/waterfall, and then… everything was **black**.

My last words to my teacher were…

"_Father!_"

* * *

Erinn seriously doubted that anything interesting would turn up after the earthquake. Perhaps some rubble and possessions, but certainly not anything really fascinating.

But, boy was she wrong.

She was moving some broken bricks out of her cabbage patch, which was situated just outside her house, feeling rather disgruntled when little Ben from the other side of town ran over to him screaming, along with the mayor's daughter, Emily.

"Erinn! Erinn!" they shrieked, rushing over to her. "There's someone in the waterfall!"

"Goodness!" she cried, abandoning her work and taking hold of the children's hands and saying, "Take me to them, now!"

"Yeah! Let's go Em!" yelled Ben, and the two tykes dragged Erinn to the river bank.

"Over there!" Emily pointed to where a _young lady _floated in the water, bruised, battered and unconscious, possibly dead.

"Oh my!" cried Erinn. Being the sweet, kind woman she was, Erinn was determined to help this girl.

"Emily! Go get Farmer Davis! Ben! Help me lift this lady out!"

"Right!" they chorused in unison. As Emily ran off, occasionally tripping in her little pink dress, Ben grabbed hold of the lady's right arm, Erinn her left, and they pulled her out of the cold water.

They examined the woman for a moment. She had drenched dark brown hair which was flattened on her face and neck. She was soaked to the skin. Cuts and bruises littered her tanned skin, and she looked sick!

"We're back!"

They looked up to see Farmer Davis with Emily.

"Farmer Davis! This girl was in the river! Help me get her into my house!" Erinn ordered.

"Of course, Miss Erinn!"

* * *

I woke up after three days. Instead of staying in, I found I was just staring at the guardian statue in Angel Falls. Inscribed in it were the words, "Our Guardian, Empyrea."

It looked nothing like me though.

_When I had awoke, I found myself in a bed. Erinn was looking worriedly at me. _

"_Finally, you're awake! What's your name? Are you a minstrel? Your clothes suggest that." _

_I'd been surprised to see that she could see me. Then I remembered the events of that horrid day. I had an idea. _

_There was a floor length mirror on the wall. Getting up, not listening to Erinn's protests, I walked slowly over to it. _

_What I saw made me __**scream!**_

_I was still in my Celestrian garb, but my wings were not there. My halo, the thing that kept me invisible, was gone, too. I quickly took my top off, turned around, looked over my shoulder- and on my back, in place of my wings, were two 30cm long black stitches. _

"_You were bleeding," Erinn explained. "It wasn't much, but I still decided to stitch it up. You'd have two scars either way." _

_Shocked, I put my top back on and sat on the bed. I rocked back and forth, still finding it hard to process it all. _

_Erinn came to sit by me and placed a hand on my back. I didn't move. "What's your name? Mine's Erinn," she said gently. _

"_Empyrea," I whispered. _

"_Empyrea what?" _

"_Just Empyrea." _

"_Well… that's a bit too long. Can I call you… Emmy?" _

_I nodded dumbly. _

_I just wanted to go home. _

I was thrown out of the world of daydreams, memories and thinking by a boyish voice.

"Hey, it's that Empyrea character that turned up just after the earthquake the other day. Or Emmy, as Erinn calls her."

I spun around, slightly startled. It was Ivor, the mayor's oldest child and only son. His only lackey, Hugo, was with him.

"Oi! Wakey, wakey!" he jeered at me. "What are you doing there, staring off into space?"

"I'm thinking," I said softly.

He ignored me. He spoke to Hugo, acting as though I were deaf, "I don't know what Erinn thinks she's doing bothering with the likes of her. She won't tell us where she's from, her clothes are all weird…I wouldn't trust her as far as I could throw her!"

I scowled. "You're not exactly trustworthy either, Ivor Litlun."

They _still_ ignored me!

Hugo answered, "I bet it's her name that's got Erinn so keen. It is the same as our village Guardian's, after all."

Ivor snorted and looked scornfully at me. How I longed to punch him in the face!

"Huh! I doubt it's even her real name. I bet she's just some no-good wandering minstrel taking on a Guardian's name to get a free lunch."

I sighed. "I'll have you know, I can easily find food in the wild. My teacher taught me in case of an emergency."

They paid no heed to my words. "Well, listen to this, oddball! I won't let you get away with any funny business on my patch!"

Hugo, thinking he was helping Ivor, said, "Yeah, watch your step! Ivor doesn't like Erinn giving all her attention to you."

Ivor glared at him and bopped him on the head.

"Ow!"

"You idiot! Why would you say that!?"

He looked around nervously, as though he were checking to see if anyone had overheard them, when he spotted Erinn approaching us, a not so happy look on her face, and he jumped. "Uh oh!"

"What's going on?" she demanded. "What are you bothering Emmy for?"

Ivor looked flustered. Hugo looked blank, and I tried hard not to snicker. "Er…hi, Erinn! Nothing's going on. Just teaching Emmy here a few village rules. Anyway, we were just leaving. Come on, Hugo."

They quickly scampered off.

Erinn watched them leave. She sighed. "I don't know why Ivor's so full of himself these days. He never used to be like that."

She turned and smiled at me, I returned the pleasant gesture. "Anyway, you must be feeling better now if you're out walking around, Emmy. Coming up here reminds me of when I first found you."

She looked over the shimmering water. "I was so surprised. You must have got caught up in the earthquake and fallen from the top of the waterfall. You're lucky you survived…"

Then she smiled at me again. "Anyway, I'm heading home. There's nothing more to do at the inn for now. Enjoy the rest of your walk, but make sure you don't overdo it, okay? I'll see you back at the house."

As she left, I wandered how on Earth one could 'overdo' a walk. I couldn't understand mortals, and even now, I still find them a little confusing.

I went over to the well, hoping for a drink. I overheard Mrs Natter and Mrs Chats (get the pun?) gossiping, and decided to eavesdrop on them.

I won't go into details, but they basically said they reckoned I was to blame for all the disasters. Like I was a jinx or a curse.

Well! I got so annoyed. I discarded my idea of getting a drink and went on.

I decided to go to the village shop. My Celestial clothes were attracting a lot of attention, so I needed a change.

Using the money I'd found and the money Erinn had given me, I bought a new sword (a soldier's sword) and a blue dress type thing with a cape. I sold my copper sword, and kept my Celestrian clothes; they were really valuable.

I kept going. I eventually reached the mayor's house, and decided to visit Emily.

Since everyone keeps their doors open, I just walked in. As I passed the kitchen, I heard Ivor and Mayor Litlun speaking. Their conversation went a little like this:

**Mayor Litlun: **Isn't it about time you did something useful with yourself rather than just hanging about the place causing trouble? You'd do well to take a leaf out of Erinn's book. She puts in a lot of hard work at the inn, that girl.

**Ivor: **Huh! What's Erinn got to do with it? I am trying to find something I want to do, anyway. And when I figure out what that is, I'll work my socks off! …Probably…

I giggled, and was about to head upstairs when my stomach rumbled.

So, I went back to Erinn's house instead. Supper would be ready by now, and I was starving.

As I went back home, I hummed the tune that the Hero of Trodain, Reoh's bride, Medea, had written, in memory of the times when they transformed into the great God bird, Empyrea's unborn son's soul. Empyrea was my namesake. It is said that Reoh and his team (Angus, Jessica Albert and Angelo) flew on Empyrea's back when they fought the evil Rhapthorne. The tune Princess Medea of Trodain had written was called _Heavenly Flight. _Indeed, the music was heavenly.

When I reached Erinn's house, I ate a delicious meal of roast chicken, mashed potatoes and tasty water from the waterfall.

I woke up the next morning to Erinn shaking me and saying, "Good morning, Emmy! Come on, get up! You have a visitor. Ivor's here. He's got something or other he wants to talk to you about. He knows you're here, so I can't very well turn him away. Just give him a few minutes of your time, okay?"

She went back downstairs.

I groaned, but got up and changed. Ivor was the last person I wanted to see right now!

Lazily, I went downstairs. Ivor was waiting for me at the doorway. I was surprised to see him so calm and level headed around Erinn; usually he was jumpy and stammered all the time.

He saw me and smiled a fake smile at me. "Hi, Emmy."

I scowled at him.

He mistook this for a look of surprise. How dense was he?! "Don't look so surprised. There's something I wasn't to talk to you about, that's all. We can't talk about it here, though. Come outside a minute."

I sighed, and reluctantly followed him outside. He led me to the side of the two storey brown brick building.

When he was sure no one but we could hear each other, he spun around and faced me, an unreadable expression on his face. "So, here's the thing," he hissed. "You've heard about how the pass has been blocked by a landslide, right? Well, that pass is a lifeline here in Angel Falls. We're totally cut off if we can't use it. It's a real problem for Eri- a real problem for everyone, I mean. So I was thinking: what better time for Ivor to come to the rescue? I'm going to clear the landslide and make it passable again. I know Erinn will be pleased as well. There's just one hitch with my perfect plan. Since the earthquake, there have been lots more monsters about, and it's pretty dangerous to leave the village now. That's where you come in. I was thinking that maybe you could tag along. You minstrel types are generally pretty handy in a scrap, right? Can I count on you to help me out?"

I hesitated. I disliked Ivor with a great passion, but I also wanted to do a good deed. Wings and halo or not, I was still guardian of this village. Plus, I was starting to feel a bit bored here in the Angel Falls.

"Alright."

"Knew it! Right then, you lead the way, Zera. It's easy enough to find. You just head out of the village and follow the road east. Oh, yeah, and let's keep this to ourselves okay? We don't want everyone sticking their beaks in."

We eventually entered a little clearing with three paths, two short, one long, and a few trees. No monsters bothered us here.

"Finally!" moaned Ivor. "We're here at last. The landslide's somewhere in these woods, apparently." He looked at me. "Emmy?"

I wasn't listening. Because in the middle path, no longer gleaming gold, but most definitely there, was the front part of the Starflight Express!

"What are you staring at?" he asked, a little annoyed.

He couldn't see the tree. "It's just a fallen tree. I don't get what's so fascinating about it. You can be properly weird sometimes, you know that?"

He turned to the left path. "The landslide's this way. I'll go on ahead!"

I stared a moment longer before making to go down the way Ivor had gone. As I walked, I suddenly stepped on something round and gold. I picked it up. It was a gold ring! I tried it on my fingers, but it did not fit. So I decided to sell it when we returned.

The landslide, collapsed, was a whole big mess of boulders, soil and tree branches. I wasn't all the shocked, I'd seen it before, clear, when I was still a winged one. So I knew how big it really was.

Ivor was VERY shocked. Evidently, he'd not seen the pass ever before, until now. I smirked. I wasn't even FROM these parts, and yet I knew it MUCH better than Ivor-I-know-every-thing-Litlun!

"This is worse than I thought!" he cried. "Is this it? But it's so much bigger than I thought…"

He looked at me, a miffed expression on his face. "You and I will never be able to shift this on our own. Stupid landslide!" he faced the wall of rock again, and sniffed. "And I was all ready to see the look on Dad's face when I came back to the village a hero…" he sniffled again and kicked the wall. He jumped back and screamed as some tiny pebbles and earth scattered down. "Waaaah!"

A manly voice called out from the other side, and we jumped, startled. At least I thought it was the other side. Could've been a ghost! "Hellooo! Is somebody there? Hellooo! If you're there, say something!"

"Huh?" Ivor was confused. "It sounds like there's someone on the other side!"

I nodded. I was just as surprised and confused as he was.

"Hey! I'm over here!" he screamed as loud as he could. I winced at the loudness, and put my hands over my delicate ears. I may be Celestrian, but even we had our limits.

"It's me, Ivor from Angel Falls. No doubt you've heard of me!"

I raised an eyebrow at his vainness. Erinn would never love him if he was THIS bad!

"Jings!" said the voice. "Someone from Angel Falls! We're soldiers sent from Stornway. King Schott sent us to clear the landslide."

Ivor gasped at me. "Blimey!" he exclaimed. "The King of Stornway must really rate Angel Falls to bother helping us out like that."

I nodded. I couldn't help but be on the same page as he.

Ivor suddenly pouted and kicked a stone, sending it skittering away. "I suppose that means we're not really needed here, then. Huh! Now I wish we hadn't bothered coming all this way."

I agreed, and we were going to leave, when the voice yelled, "Wait! There's an urgent matter we need to ask you about."

"What?" I called.

"Do you know if a lass called Patty made her way to your village just after the earthquake? She works at the inn in Stornway, but she took off one day for Angel Falls and we've heard nothing of her since."

"Patty?" Ivor looked at me, as though I knew. I shook my head. "I've never heard of the name."

"Nope, doesn't ring any bells." Said Ivor. "Why would she come to Angel Falls anyways?"

"Aye, well, rumour has it that that she was on her way there through the Hexagon. The path there's been blocked too, though, so we've no way of finding out where she is."

Ivor was clearly shocked. "The Hexagon? That old ruin we had to go traipsing all the way through before this pass was built? No one goes there anymore. It's jam-packed with monsters and falling apart so badly it might come down on your head!"

He called to the soldiers again. "There's no way a woman would go through there alone. The rumours must be wrong."

I could just imagine the soldier sighing. "Alright, well, perhaps you could just relay to your village the fact that the road will be open again soon. And if you could ask around about Patty while you're there, that'd be grand."

"No problemo!" replied Ivor. "Just leave it to me. You can always count on Ivor!"

He smiled at me. I smiled weakly back. I was tired, of course. We'd spent approximately two hours out here, and I wanted to return.

"Come on, Emmy," he told me, "home time! I reckon they'll be pretty pleased to hear the news."

I willingly agreed. I was so eager to get… home, I ran! Ivor had to sprint as fast as he could to keep up with me.

"I see," said Mayor Litlun, "so the soldiers from Stornway should have the pass cleared for us before long."

"That's right!" Ivor boasted. "Everyone will be so pleased to hear the news. Ivor saves the day, eh?"

I complained, "What about ME?"

"Oh yeah. Emmy helped too, a little."

I frowned, but kept quiet.

"Don't be ridiculous!" Litlun shouted. Ivor and I jumped, surprised. Wasn't he happy?

"You were foolish to go all the way out there, just the two of you. Utterly foolish!"

Ivor was all hot and bothered now. "B-but… Why are you so angry? If we hadn't gone to the landslide, you'd never have known it was about to be cleared."

"So what?" Litlun was still furious as a bull when he sees red. "If I didn't know now, I'd have found out soon enough. Knowing a little bit sooner is hardly worth risking your life for. That's why I'm angry. That's why you're foolish."

Ivor scowled ferociously. "…Gah! Fine!…" he glared down at his shoes. Suddenly, his head snapped back up. "Oh, yeah, there was something else. Something I heard from one of the soldiers. They want us to find some girl called Patty who went missing on her way here."

Erinn, all of a sudden, came running into the kitchen. "Wait a minute!" she cried. "Is that true?"

As soon as he saw her, Ivor nearly banged his head on the ceiling; he jumped so high, startled.

"Erinn! What are you doing here?" he asked.

Erinn snapped, "What do you think? I'm here because I heard you'd whisked Emmy off on some silly adventure!"

She joined us standing around the table. "Anyway, never mind that."

I couldn't help but feel a little offended. Never mind THAT? Wasn't THAT _me_?

"Is it true that Patty from Stornway has gone missing?" her eyes were brimming over with fear.

Litlun asked the question I was dying to ask. "Ah yes. You're from Stornway originally, aren't you, Erinn? Do you know the woman?"

We all looked expectantly at her.

She bit her lip and looked down at her feet. "I seem to remember my dad talking about someone called Patty from his days in Stornway. Oh, dear! Maybe she didn't know he'd passed away and she was coming here to see him." She looked like she was about to cry, but before I could go over and comfort her, Litlun spoke again.

"Hmm…" he stroked his black beard. Funny how he had more hair on his face then on his head. "Well, I can understand everyone's concerns, but we can't very well send off a search party with no lead to go on."

I opened my mouth to speak, but Ivor beat me to it. "Actually," he said pretty casually, "the soldier said something about how she might've been on her way here through the Hexagon."

"Is that so? Well, even if that is the case, we still can't be of any help. The Hexagon is far too dangerous nowadays."

He looked sympathetically at Erinn. "Erinn, why don't you take Emmy home now? Try not to worry too much."

He faced Ivor, who'd been looking off into space, and stared at him with eyes full of ire. "I'd appreciate a bit of privacy so I can talk some sense into this pig-headed son of mine."

Ivor jumped. Again. "T-there's no need for that, Dad!" he stuttered, looking as nervous as Piglet. (Lol, Winnie the Pooh reference!)

When we reached home, Erinn praised me. "I was so worried when I'd heard you'd left the village, Emmy. You seem to be unscathed, though. You're obviously a lot tougher than I thought."

She looked a bit hesitant now. "Speaking of which, um…I wondered if I could ask you a favour, Emmy."

"Okay," I said, "what is it?"

She looked really worried now. "You see, I'm quite worried about all this talk of Patty going missing. So I was wondering if you could-"

She broke off and shook her head vigorously, and had on a look of embarrassment and guiltiness. "Oh, never mind! The Hexagon is really far too dangerous. I couldn't possibly ask that much of you."

She sighed pretty sadly. My heart could help but break. "I'm obviously worried about Patty, but it's far too dangerous to go off to the Hexagon looking for her. All we can do is pray to the Almighty to keep her safe."

I nodded and left the house. Before I left, however, I caught her bowing her head and whispering, "Guardian Empyrea, please watch over Patty and see that she comes to no harm."

I now knew what I had to do. As a guardian, I had to answer Erinn's prayers.

So my mission? _Save Patty!_

* * *

**Serena: **That's all folks! We were gonna do it where Emmy saves Patty, but we'll put that in the next chapter. Also, an OC from our friend Blossom will be put in! yeah, it was cut from this chapter, ready for the next.

**Abella: **Only because we weren't all that sure about what to put in the next chapter, after this. Anyways, review! Bye!


	3. Abella here!

**Abella: **Hi guys, it's me, Abella! Here to say I am back! And me and my sister are using our fake names again, Serena and Abella Hartwell.

This story is on official hiatus until we have finished all our other business.

-Abella


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